North Korea Makes Plea For Sports Equipment Blocked By Sanctions: No Takers On Easy Sale

North Korea is feeling the wrath of the sanctions imposed on their country over their nuclear missile program, but just how they are suffering may surprise you.

Stating their case that “sports equipment can’t build missiles,” officials in North Korea have made several requests to various federations to bypass the U.S.-led sanctions so they can purchase sports equipment. These requests have recently been unearthed in letters. Despite the people of this country having very little food at their disposal, there’s a dire need for sports equipment, which seems to be the case, according to these letters.

According to Fox News, these newly discovered letters contain complaints from North Korea stating that the “U.S.-led sanctions were depriving it’s starving, suffering populace of essential aid and materials — such as ski equipment.” Letters that were written about their plight and requesting help from various global sports federations seem to note a sense of desperation for the country to be able to access this sports equipment. Behind this desperation is the goal of keeping up with the rest of the world for sports competitions, such as the Olympics.

A North Korean diplomat stationed in Geneva had possession of these letters, and Reuters was able to obtain these informative pages of requests being made to work around these sanctions. The letters were originally sent to the World Archery Federation and the International Ski Federation, both which are based in Switzerland. The same type of request was also made in a letter, which was sent to the International Sporting Federation, based in Germany.

The letters requested that these sports-oriented federations support North Korea’s plight for a reduction in these sanctions, which have left them unable to purchase sports equipment. Since 2006, North Korea has been hit with nine rounds of sanctions by the United Nations Security Council due to the “unlawful testing of nuclear weapons and multiple launches of inter-continental missiles, reports Fox.”

Since President Trump arrived on the Washington scene, the ante has been upped with more U.S.-led sanctions imposed on North Korea as the country progressed with their missiles and the testing of the nuclear weapons. Trump’s signature on an executive order Thursday put additional pressures on North Korea.

According to Fox News, “Trump said the order specifically enhanced the Treasury Department’s authority to target those conducting significant trade with the regime, including giving the U.S. government the ability to sanction foreign banks.”

Despite sanctions hitting the North Korean economy, it’s under the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un that the officials are stressing over their inability to obtain new sports equipment. Ri Hak Chol is the ski association’s president for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK). He complained to the International Olympic Ski Committee that the federations would not supply North Korea with the much-needed equipment for their country to participate in sports.

In turn, the “association sent several letters of purchase intention to more than 20 worldwide ski equipment production companies.” Those letters of intent to purchase went out back in June and July to companies that included big names such as Atomic, Blizzard, and Fischer, but it was to no avail.

According to Reuters, the ski association’s letter back to DPRK notified the government of the lack of progress in this matter. They write how they sent out more than 20 letters, “but unfortunately, those ski equipment companies and sales agents rejected or have not responded to its request.”

The letter that the DPRK received back from the World Archery Federation, who also made attempts by writing letters of intent to purchase sports equipment at the request of North Korean officials, didn’t offer much hope. The World Archery Federation also got nowhere in their venture.

They wrote back how they made this attempt, “However, under the pressure of the United States, they are still keeping dumb (silent),” the letter said.

These sanctions were meant to put stress on North Korea, but their plight to get sports equipment in a country with people going hungry seems to emphasize the priorities that Kim Jong Un has set for his country.

[Featured Image by Ahn Young-joon/AP Images]